adminTHE Windhoek High Court on Wednesday dismissed an urgent application brought by three opposition parties asking it to postpone today’s (Friday)’s parliamentary and presidential elections. “The applicants were in possession of documents about the issues brought before the court by 20 October, but brought them here a month later, no reasons were given why they did not file the application earlier, no case was made for urgency,” Judge Kobus Miller said, reading from his ruling.
“With regard to the application to stop the electoral commission from using electronic voting machines (EVMs) and to disallow suspension clauses contained in the recently promulgated elections act in order to stop the use of EVMs, I say that in South Africa it is not unusual for the powers to determine the date on which enactments laws or sections of them will come into effect.
“In Namibia it is (also) often the case that the power to determine this is left with the administrative arm of the executive dealing with legislation,”
Applicant August Maletzky argued on Tuesday that the EVMs should not be used in Friday’s elections, as they did not produce a verifiable paper trail for every vote cast.
This was stipulated in the new elections Act, but a suspension clause provided for the later introduction of EVMs with paper printouts. — Sapa.
Online Reporter